prefix+f — Rotate through an app’s multiple windows in a region

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prefix+f brings the next window of the selected region’s current app into that region.

Default chord: f · Config key: cycle_region · Change in Settings → Hotkeys → Region operations

Typical scenario

The layout puts Chrome in region 0, but you have 5 Chrome windows open. The first time the layout fires, it places the 1st Chrome window into region 0; to see the 2nd or 3rd window, press prefix+f repeatedly. Each press cycles to the next window and eventually wraps back to the start.

Trigger flow

1. (optional) press prefix+q N    select region N; if you skip, region 0 is the default
2.            press prefix+f      the next window is moved into the region and activated
3.        press prefix+f again    the next-next window …

One-shot: prefix+q → f → digit selects that region and runs this action immediately (see prefix+q).

How candidate windows are picked

The engine, in order:

  1. Takes all running windows of the region’s current app.
  2. Excludes any window already used by another region in the current layout (so you don’t steal another region’s window).
  3. Sorts the remainder by MRU (most recently used) into the cycle list.
  4. On the first f press, picks the most recent entry that isn’t the current one.
  5. Subsequent f presses walk forward through the list, wrapping at the end.

If there is only 1 candidate (including “the one already showing”), pressing f is a silent no-op.

Cycle session lifetime

The interval between f presses is bounded by the cycle timeout (default cycle_timeout_ms = 3000 ms):

  • Within 3 seconds, repeated f presses are treated as the same cycle session and the cursor keeps advancing.
  • Press f more than 3 seconds later → start a fresh session, again from “not the current one”.

The session is also forcibly cleared by these events:

  • Switching layout (prefix+<key> / prefix+n/p/l / prefix+w).
  • A window in the candidate list being closed.
  • prefix+r (restore).
  • prefix+m swap completion.
  • Config reload.

Fullscreen / native maximize handling

  • If the current region is in prefix+z temporary fullscreen: the next window cycled in is also placed at fullscreen size (preserving the visual fullscreen).
  • If the current layout marks the region with is_native_maximize: the cycled window goes through maximize_native instead of move_window, to avoid render artifacts in some apps (Office / browsers) at custom sizes.

The selection sticks

prefix+f uses selected_region as its target. Once you select region N via prefix+q N, subsequent f / z / g / c / x presses all act on region N — you don’t have to re-select each time.

selected_region only changes when you switch to another binding and back (each binding remembers its own).

Rejection conditions

Situation Behavior
No layout currently available Silent
selected_region doesn’t exist in the current layout Silent
The region’s app is not registered in [apps] Error (shouldn’t happen in theory)
Candidate list has fewer than 2 windows Silent
The window the cursor points at is dead Clear the session; this press is a no-op

Timing parameters

Parameter Default Settings location
Max interval within one session 3000 ms Hotkeys → Advanced → Cycle timeout (cycle_timeout_ms)